The Growth of Appreciation of Distance Learning Among Students in Russia During New Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The transition of higher education in Russia to distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic makes it necessary to analyse the opinion of students based on their experience of distance learning during the pandemic. Since the COVID-19 virus tends to mutate and remains highly pathogenic for a long time, universities should improve the quality of distance education taking into account the needs of today’s students. The purpose of our study was to identify the changes in the opinion of students about the advantages of distance learning over a period from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and up to the present moment, when we are facing another wave. The study was based on a sociological survey. The article presents the results of the survey of students from two leading universities in Russia. It determines the aspects of distance learning that are now viewed significantly more positively by students as compared to the beginning of the pandemic two years ago. It also presents the factors that influenced students’ opinion about the quality of distance education. The results of our study contribute to the development of distance learning models employed by higher education institutions in Russia and can also be used as a basis for managerial decisions, since they present feedback from students. (150–250 words).